Combating Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

two cross-cutting issue sets in the National Security and International Affairs area. Thefirst, Counter-narcotics, had been presented to the Director in previous years, but thesecond, Transnational Issues, including proliferation, terrorism, continuity of government,protection of critical infrastructure, and international crime, was presented in the Director’sReview for the first time.Participation in the Interagency Policy Process. The OMB leadership participates inthe national security policy-making process through membership on key NSC committees.The Director of OMB is a member of the NSC Principals Committee and the DeputyDirector sits on the Deputies Committee (although in the Clinton Administration the DeputyDirector is usually represented by the PAD for National Security and International Affairs).The PAD or his designee is a member of the Interagency Working Group on Non-Proliferation and Export Controls, and OMB representatives often attend IWG sub-groupmeetings. The PAD is sometimes invited to informal White House discussions onproliferation issues.The PAD formerly chaired an informal group, unofficially termed the EXOP (for ExecutiveOffice of the President), made up of representatives of White House offices and chargedwith making recommendations on the Function 150 (Foreign Operations) account. Thisaccount contains all U.S. bilateral and multilateral foreign economic and militaryassistance, including funding the U.S. contribution to the Korean Peninsula EconomicDevelopment Organization (KEDO), which is a critical element in the Administration’s effortto halt the North Korean nuclear weapons program. This matter is of such importance,however, that it is almost certainly managed in the Deputies Committee.Many program functions in the proliferation area are dispersed as, for example, theCooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program in Russia which involves the Departmentsof State, Defense, and Energy. OMB participates in the informal Office of the VicePresident-led interagency review of resources for CTR to ensure that the emergentstrategy is within budget constraints. Other proliferation issues, like the problem of KEDOfunding, reflect disagreements within the Administration over the source of funds forspecific programs.While OMB plays a significant role in the overall process of balancing competing interests,Director Jack Lew emphasized that his relationship with policy makers is personal, notinstitutional. He noted that OMB does not have sufficient staff depth to engage onsubstantive issues.Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)The mission of OSTP is to provide expert, timely advice to the President in all areas ofscience and technology and to coordinate federal science and technology investment. TheOffice is headed by a Director who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the22